Archives
 By  Staff Reports Published 
6:32 pm Thursday, August 12, 2004

Excellence in Education

By Staff
August 12, 2004
Kimberly Griffin of Meridian is the recipient of the Mae Carroll Thornton Mother's Day scholarship at Meridian Community College. The $600 award is funded through the MCC Foundation.
Dr. William L. Thornton initiated this scholarship in 1993 as a way to honor his wife.
Griffin graduated from the Respiratory Care Practitioner Program in May 2004. A graduate of Leake Academy, she was a member of the Student Council and Students Against Drunk Drivers.
She also garnered first place in the State Health Occupation Students of America competition. Griffin is married and has 4-month-old daughter, Gracie. Her plans are to pursue a career in respiratory care.
Mary Kathryn Covert and Phillip Martin Swatzfager, both of Meridian, were named to the dean's list for the spring semester at Samford University.
Covert is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Frank Covert. Swatzfager is the son of Mr. and Mrs. James Harrison Swartzfager.
Lindley Williams, a student at Poplar Springs Elementary, was recently awarded first place at the Mississippi State Department of Education's Reading Fair in Jackson. To compete at the state level, students must win first place at their school, district and regional levels. Williams was presented with a $50 savings bond and coupons for ice cream.
Megan Merenko of Daleville has been selected to receive the Meridian Exchange Club/Bo Russell Memorial Scholarship at Meridian Community College. She will be returning as the sophomore recipient.
Merenko has completed 29 hours at MCC with a 4.0 grade point average. She was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two- year college students. She was recently accepted into the Physical Therapist Assistant program at MCC.
Jared Benjamin Doner of Bailey was named one of the country's most outstanding campus leaders by Who's Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges. He was nominated by Meridian Community College.
The honor is awarded to students who display outstanding achievements in scholarly endeavors and who also participate and exercise leadership in extracurricular activities.
Over the past 38 years, the Who's Who program has honored and rewarded the individual scholastic excellence of outstanding campus leaders. This prestigious award is one of the greatest honors annually conferred by the American academic community.
Doner joins an elite group of students selected from institutions of higher learning throughout the United States. He is the son of Timothy and Janet Doner.

Also on Franklin County Times
Oliver wants 5% pay hike for his staff
Main, News, Russellville
Kevin Taylor For the FCT 
August 12, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE – Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver hasn’t seen much turnover within his department lately and he wants to keep it that way. Oliver ...
Flock council policy faces vote Monday
Main, News, Red Bay, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
August 12, 2026
RED BAY —A second Flock Safety automated license plate reader has been installed as the city prepares for a special meeting Monday on a proposed polic...
Local water systems have security measures in place
Main, News, Russellville, ...
By Brady Petree For the FCT 
August 12, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — As cyberattacks on U.S. water systems climb nationwide, local officials say a combination of rigorous safety protocols and old-fashione...
Alabama must champion spirit of civics education
Columnists, News, Opinion
August 12, 2026
Alabama has earned some well-deserved credit for taking steps to combat civic amnesia. State law mandates that students pass a 100-question citizenshi...
AERA holds annual district meeting
Columnists, Opinion
HERE AND NOW
August 12, 2026
Retired educators may have left the classroom, but they certainly have not stopped serving their communities. That was evident at the Alabama Educatio...
Forever Wild to acquire 120 acres in Colbert
News
By Addi Broadfoot For the FCT 
August 12, 2026
CHEROKEE — The Forever Wild Land Trust is moving forward with plans to acquire additional property in Colbert County that would expand public hunting ...
30 years of caring for Little Tigers
News, Russellville
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
August 12, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — When Rhonda Miller opened Little Tigers Daycare in 1996, about 15 children attended during the first two weeks. Thirty years later, the...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *